Allan Bealy

Francia

Born and educated in Montreal, I have spent my professional life as an art director and graphic designer with 30 years of experience in the New York advertising environment. Since retiring in 2015 my art practice has focused exclusively on collage.
My overarching themes involve an observation of my natural environment and the conflicts that are present when nature comes up against overindustrialization and the damage that we are doing to the earth. I emphatically try not to be didactic but that conflict is behind everything I do.

I tend to work exclusively with vintage materials — magazines from the ’40s and ’50s, reference works on the sciences, old signage and paper ephemera. The quality of the paper, its texture, color and smell are almost as important as the imagery. I spend a lot of time staining and distressing my materials, creating an overall sense of organic growth and decay.
I am happiest when I am in a dialog with my materials and can speak to my beliefs.